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6A – Daily News – Tuesday, May 4, 2010 Opinion D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Booster corruption Editor: Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer’s home street address and home phone num- ber. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 Even in times of world peace, economic stability and oil-free coastlines, of which the present is not such a time, it’s uncom- fortable to see a U.S. president doing standup comedy. Example from Saturday's White House Correspondents Dinner: "Unfortunately, John McCain couldn't make it. Recently he claimed that he never identified himself as a maverick. And we all know what happens in Arizona when you don't have amigo!" The Antelope Boosters club needs your help. If you think that your local boosters club is immune from corrupt shady deals, think again. Tuesday night the Antelope boosters club voted to hire a contractor whose bid was 40 percent higher than the low bid, $3,325 to be exact. Everyone knows that when you put a job out for bid that the low bid is what you're looking for. At a cake auction you look for the high bid. Maybe the group that voted for the higher bid was confused by that. This was no cake auction, quite the opposite. This was the most blatant and grossest disre- gard for the honest handling of community donated money you could imagine. The money that the booster club raises is their money, or is it? The truth of the matter is that money is a donation from the community that generously sup- ports the school and the boost- ers club merely holds that money in trust. In some instances low bids can be refused. If the contractor has a shaky track record, the dif- ference in bids is only a couple hundred dollars, potential con- flict of interests, and various other reasons that would make sense. This was not the case. Don't get me wrong. The Antelope Boosters club is a great bunch of people they just got this one wrong. Really wrong. If the boosters club wants to hire a contractor whose children attend our school that's fine. I believe we should take care of our own. Shop locally, buy American made products, etc. Having said that I'm not fine with paying an extra $3,000. At the meeting it was sug- gested that we put a contract together clearly outlying what we expected and offering it to the contractor that they chose at the price of the lower bid. It is unclear at this time that this will be the case. This is where we need to step in and help them make a better choice. It's not too late but you must take action. I urge you to call the school and tell them to do what is right. Come to a boosters club meet- ing to voice your concerns. The money that they could be wasting by over paying on this job is equal to our kids selling 600 tubs of cookie dough. That's a lot of dough. Please don't let them waste it. Mark Garstang, Red Bluff Clear the air Editor: How can we, who don't want any marijuana, medical or otherwise, near us let our officials know that "marijuana free zones" are also required in order to breathe? What's afair and equitable? What's the greater good? Supporting a much more dys- functional, disabled, non responsible society or sup- porting a society that enjoys the "freedom" of breathing quality air, teaching our chil- dren that it's okay to have a little bit of pain in our lives (without getting stoned) and not growing up being addicted to doing nothing worthwhile towards actually ben- efiting society (in other words being too lazy or stoned to work)? Your Turn What will our statistics look like in five or ten years? Will we have more folks miss- ing work because they either stubbed their toe or had a wee bit of pain from an "injury" or "illness" that "caused" them to "require" a medical marijuana "prescription?" Businesses may fold which leaves more opportunity for marijuana businesses to keep our injured and ill citizens constantly stoned (weak and lazy). Should we, who believe in a drug free society, ask or "require" our City Councils and Board of Supervisors for marijuana free zones or neigh- borhoods (even "medical" marijuana)? Will crimes related to these issues rise or fall? Will anyone really care about how our children's future, forms? Will too many people (includ- ing parents) be too stoned to give a hoot? Where do you want to be in five or ten years? You can't hide forever. Maybe those who desire to use their prescriptions could form their own neighborhoods in areas not surrounding those who don't have the desire to see a lot of folks stoned around town. Too sick or injured to work but not too much so to drive or to shop in the store to pick up tobacco, other pre- scription drugs and alcohol. What's the message? America. A nation of laws. doesn't this definition also include citizenship? Being an American isn't all that easy. Being an American means being responsible enough not to forget what the framers wanted for the future of this country. Citizenship means you want these things and you want them very badly. If there's going to be an established law that gives medical marijuana a place in our society then we need to establish a law that gives our citizens the right to establish marijuana free zones. Zones that will be enforced just as much as those establishments who "fill" prescriptions have their rights enforced as required by law. Isn't this rea- sonable, fair and equitable? Where does that marijuana really come from anyway? It's probably a "controlled" sub- stance. John Minton Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 4164 P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento 94249; (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319- 2102 STATE SENATOR — Sam Aanestad (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 2054, Sacramen- to, CA 95814. (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 893-8363. U.S.SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454. A standup president Commentary for journalists who cover the White House to rub shoulders with key administration players in this setting. The 96-year-old tradition itself is not problemat- ic, but the president's role as jokester becomes less appropri- ate each year in direct propor- tion to the public's increased access to what was once an under-publicized event. ID: Adios, It's not that President Obama, Commander-in-Schtick as The New York Daily News called him, is bad at this sort of thing. With material from ace speech- writers Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett, the president was actual- ly quite good - even if a few quips, like the one about immi- gration, fell flat. Indeed, the president was far funnier than the night's hired pro, Jay Leno, whose awkward use of note cards only made his skimpy material worse — "Senator John Edwards...a personal injury attorney who turned out to be a sleazeball. Who coulda seen that coming?" Much has been written over the years about whether it's wise This is not to say a president should have one standard of behavior for high-profile events and a lower standard in private. Jokes like those delivered Satur- day night, while relatively harm- less, are uncomfortable to watch out of context, worldwide, via the Internet and cable-TV. It’s probably asking too much for a president to issue heartfelt advice to U. of Michigan grads Saturday morning — “we can’t expect to solve our problems if all we do is tear each other down” — and deliver comedic barbs at the Washington Hilton a few hours later — GOP Chair- man Michael Steele is "the Notorious G.O.P." In truth, it's been a while since Friar's Club-type comedy was fashionable. When the goal is to make half the room hoot and the other half squirm, it’s not particularly Presidential, which is why Don Rickles never attained office above Roastmas- ter. That holds true for vice presidents as well. Joe Biden spoke in March at the Radio and Television Correspon- dents dinner and strained, painfully, to be one of the boys — "My job has its perks. Tiger Woods paid me a visit and gave me some tips. Hey, guys. They were golf tips." It was particularly that comes with being out of office. unattractive — at least via clips preserved on the Internet for all time — to hear the vice pres- ident say "hell" seven times in a 12 minute speech, in an awkward attempt to be viewed as with it and clever. Americans enjoy seeing their president in occasional nonpolit- ical roles: throwing out the first pitch of the baseball season, playing with his kids and dog on the White House lawn, running on the beach in Hawaii and even making a guest appearance now and then on latenight TV. Insult comedy, however, just like “Dancing with the Stars,” is best left for all the free time Peter Funt The funny thing about our changing times is that while nowadays almost anything goes, not everything plays well. C-SPAN and the Internet have seen to it that all the world’s a stage, and in many corners there is a pret- ty tough crowd. “Today’s 24/7 echo-chamber ampli- fies the most inflam- matory soundbites louder and faster than ever before…It makes it nearly impossible for people who have legitimate but bridge- able differences to sit down at the same table and hash things out.” That’s what President Obama told the graduates during his standup appearance in Michi- gan. Appropriately, there were few, if any, laughs. Peter Funt is a writer and public speaker. He's also the long-time host of "Candid Camera." A collection of his DVDs is available at www.candidcamera.com.